Company to Buy Up to 5,000 Tank Cars as Industry Weighs New Measures Following Train Derailments

BNSF Railway said it plans to buy as many as 5,000 new tank cars to transport crude oil, an unusual move that marks the latest effort by the rail industry to improve safety after a spate of accidents.

Railroads typically own engines and track but not the tank cars that run on their networks, 99% of which are owned by leasing companies, shippers and railcar manufacturers. BNSF, a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said it has requested bids from major railcar manufacturers for 5,000 "next...